Armenia
Armenia was considered the first Christian state. It officially adopted Christianity as its official religion in 303 A.D. Today the culture no longer reflects the nature of Christianity that focuses upon a personal relationship with Jesus Christ despite vast architectural reminders of its God-fearing past. Since it’s ancient conception, Armenia has been occupied by many world powers that have left their fingerprints throughout the country. Most recently was the thumbprint of the Soviet Union, which controlled the country for 70 years. During Soviet rule, there was a falling away from religion, which persisted even after the fall of communism.
In 1998 a horrific earthquake killed around 25,000 people. Despite the massive damage, the natural disaster worked to bring about a powerful revival leading to a sense of national repentance and a renewed interest in Scripture. Armenia has strong Christian roots with the the AAC (Armenian Apostolic Church) dominating the religious culture. However the intimate relationship between the church and the nation's culture and politics pose a threat to the growth of the new Great Commission churches, which presently only claim 2% of the population.
Although there was persecution for following Christ under communism, today there is religious freedom in Armenia. In the last decade most churches have grown in numbers, but the AAC is the dominant force behind the nation's religious climate, and does not look favorably on the spreading of new churches. Fortunately, our God is not discouraged by the constraints of man. He has continued working in this area mainly through volunteer teams that are allowed to enter the country for short periods of time to share the Gospel. Through these teams, many Armenians have come to know Christ in a life-changing and personal way. Please join us in praying that new churches would multiply into an unstopable church-planting movement.
If you would like to learn more about sharing the Gospel with the Armenian people group, contact us at hope4cee@pobox.com.